Acoustic design consultancy White Mark Ltd has helped Jumbuck embrace the very latest in immersive audio formats by transforming its main studio into a facility with full Dolby Atmos® capability.

Based in London’s West End, Jumbuck is a boutique audio post production business that works across audience comedy, single camera comedy drama, drama and film. Established in 2001, the company is headed by Glenn Calder, Richard Davey and Anne Pamphilon and its main clients include the BBC, ITV and major independent production companies.

The decision to upgrade to Dolby Atmos was taken at the end of 2018 when Jumbuck signed a new lease on its current premises, giving it the security to think about investment and future planning. In addition, the company had just completed Bounty Hunters, its first Dolby Atmos series for Sky, produce by Tiger Aspect, and was about to start work on Top Boy Series 3, a Dolby Atmos drama series produced by Cowboy Films for Netflix.

“We had been looking for alternative premises for a long while before we renewed the lease on our current premises, and during that time the team at White Mark were always happy to join any viewing and give their input and advice, which was gratefully received,” says Anne Pamphilon. “They were naturally our first choice to handle the refurbishment because they are legendary in their field and because they design studio spaces with great attention to detail.”

As well as transforming the main studio into a facility compatible with the requirements of Dolby Atmos HE, White Mark was also tasked with relocating the existing machine room and using part of the newly available space to enlarge and reshape a second studio, reversing the orientation and offering a more comfortable and better proportioned environment. A smaller studio for pre-production editing was created in the remaining space of the former machine room.

“The main studio was already a very successful room so we tried to apply a light touch with our alterations,” says White Mark’s Managing Director David Bell. “The result is a very attractive room that feels much lighter and brighter than before. The biggest challenge we faced was the low room height because of the ceiling channels required Atmos. This produces problems in many rooms, with the conflict between such practical issues as doors, coverage of client areas and compliance with the standard and the aesthetic desire to create a great working environment that feels spacious and light. We are particularly pleased with this room as we have worked over a number of years with Jumbuck towards creating a space that they are happy to be in for the foreseeable future. During the rebuild we took the opportunity to improve the basic response of the space to offer a creative environment that gets the most out of the significant equipment and monitor investment that Jumbuck has made.”

Pamphilon says everyone at Jumbuck is delighted with the new studio, which took seven weeks to complete.

“We are now well into mixing our first Dolby Atmos jobs,” she says. “We are continuing with our refurbishments and are looking forward to a formal re-launch later this year.”

Other projects recently completed at Jumbuck include Afterlife, Fleabag, Brexit: The Uncivil War, Hatton Garden and The Bay.

About White Mark:

Established in 1997 by David Bell, John Dunnill, Derek Buckingham and Alan Cundell, White Mark Ltd specialises in production facilities for music recording and the film and television industries. Over the last 21 years it has designed and supervised the construction of over 600 production suites worldwide. The company’s impressive client list encompasses some of the world’s most famous music recording facilities including Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in the UK, Germano Studios in New York, Hit Factory/Criteria Recording Studios in Miami, Strongroom in London and private studios for producers and musicians such as William Orbit and Damon Albarn. Most recently, The Sanctuary complex at the Albany Resort in Nassau, the Bahamas has been opened to wide acclaim. In the area of audio post production, White Mark has completed over 180 audio studios and many broadcast and video editing facilities for more than 50 companies in Soho alone. The list of clients includes Grand Central, Hackenbacker, Envy, De Lane Lea, Scramble, Lipsync, Molinare, DeLuxe, 750mph, NBC/Universal, Wave, Unit, Soho Square and Boom. Advertising agency clients include worldwide facilities for Hogarth International and AMV/BBDO on four continents.